New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen is pushing back at claims from the Philadelphia Eagles that his team exhibited dirty play during their recent clash.
The Saints narrowly lost to the Eagles 15-12 on Sunday in a game fraught with injuries and heated moments. Tensions peaked after several incidents led to accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct directed at the Saints.
Contentious Moments on the Field
Among the most controversial events was a hit delivered by Saints defenders Payton Turner and Khristian Boyd on Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith. The hit was significant enough to dislodge Smith's helmet, leading to his omission from the remainder of the game and placement in concussion protocol.
The physical nature of the game drew sharp criticism from Eagle's safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who labeled the actions as dirty play. "The dirtiest shit I ever saw in football, bro," Gardner-Johnson said, reflecting the Eagles' frustrations over the game’s aggressive nature.
Multiple Eagles players echoed Gardner-Johnson’s sentiments, expressing chagrin over what they perceived as excessive roughness on the part of the Saints.
Dennis Allen's Defense
In response, Saints head coach Dennis Allen came to the defense of his team’s style of play, strongly denying that his players engage in dirty tactics. “I'd say our guys play extremely hard and we're going to compete until the down is over. I don't think we play dirty. I don't think we ever have played dirty. It's not the way we coach it, not the way we teach it, but we do play hard,” Allen stated.
Allen addressed the Eagles' concerns by emphasizing the physical nature of football and acknowledging the unfortunate reality of injuries. “Look, nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, nobody's trying to hurt anybody and unfortunately that's part of the business that we're in. No, we don't play dirty. We don't coach dirty, but we do play hard and we do play physical,” he elaborated.
Penalties and Objectives
The game also saw Saints right tackle Trevor Penning penalized for unnecessary roughness after an excessive block that sent Eagles safety Darius Slay tumbling into the sideline benches. Allen addressed the penalty, acknowledging the need for awareness and control. “We can't have that. You've got to have some awareness of where you're at on the field. That could've been a really costly penalty. I love the aggressiveness, but at the same time, we can't hurt the team,” Allen explained.
Gardner-Johnson, who didn’t mince words, dismissed the Saints as "Pretenders," highlighting the derogatory view held by some in the Eagles camp. Yet, the Saints, standing at a 2-1 record for the season, have focused on maintaining their aggressive yet controlled style of play under Allen’s guidance.
As both teams recover from a physically taxing matchup, the debate over what constitutes hard play versus dirty play continues to linger. With player safety and team reputations on the line, it remains to be seen how future encounters will unfold and whether the Saints' approach will be scrutinized more closely.
For now, Dennis Allen’s stance is clear: play hard, play to win, and above all, respect the game.